Broncos' Simmons day to day after suffering 'fluky' ankle sprain

By Nick Kosmider

The Denver Post

Posted:
12/11/2017 05:44:35 PM MST

Updated:
12/11/2017 05:44:54 PM MST

Broncos safety Justin Simmons, right, is helped up by linebacker Shane Ray during the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Jets in Denver. Simmons suffered an ankle injury on the play and missed the remainder of the game. (John Leyba / The Denver Post)

ENGLEWOOD — The fitting irony to the Denver Broncos' 2017 season is that even a moment of celebration delivered pain.

Safety Justin Simmons is considered day to day with a mild high ankle sprain, coach Vance Joseph said Monday. The second-year player turned his left ankle on teammate Brandon Marshall's right foot in the first quarter of Denver's 23-0 victory over the Jets on Sunday.

The "fluky" injury, as Joseph described it, occurred as Simmons and Marshall were celebrating the linebacker's strip sack of Jets quarterback Josh McCown. Simmons didn't return to the game.

"We're going to treat him and see what's going to happen on Thursday there," Joseph said.

Rookie safety Jamal Carter also left Sunday's game early with a bruised shoulder.

"He's getting better by the moment," Joseph said. "We should be OK there."

In other injury news, the Broncos are exploring the possibility of placing offensive guard Ron Leary on injured reserve, according to a source. Leary has missed the last two games with a back injury.

Fourth-down call

The Broncos dominated the time of possession in their victory Sunday, and their scoring drive late in the second quarter, which hinged on a key fourth-down call, played a big role.

Denver took over at its own 37-yard line with 6 minutes, 30 seconds left in the first half. On third-and-11, running back C.J. Anderson turned a short dump-off pass from Trevor Siemian into a 12-yard gain, bringing up a fourth-and-1 at the Jets' 45-yard line.

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Joseph left punter Riley Dixon on the sideline, and the gamble paid off. Siemian rolled out to his right and fired a pass on the move to Demaryius Thomas, who dragged his toes for a 5-yard gain and a first down. The Broncos finished the drive with a field goal that gave them a 13-0 lead and melted the clock all the way down to 37 seconds.

Denver entered the game just 3-of-12 on fourth down, among the worst marks in the league.

"We got our best guy one-on-one against their corner, a simple speed-out to give us a first down," Joseph said. "It was a great throw and catch."

Cornerback switch

When Aqib Talib was suspended for Denver's game against the Dolphins, rookies Brendan Langley and Marcus Rios backed up Chris Harris and Bradley Roby.

With Talib back in action against the Jets, the Broncos kept Rios, an undrafted player out of UCLA, active for the second straight week. Langley, a third-round pick out of Lamar, was inactive.

"It was strictly about Rios," Joseph said. "He's practiced well. He played well last week for us. It was more about Rios than it was Langley."

Rios played three defensive snaps against the Dolphins, but his work Sunday was limited to special teams.

Notable

Austin Traylor, a former undrafted player in his first season with the Broncos, played 45 offensive snaps against the Jets, the most among Denver's tight ends. ... Four players — cornerbacks Talib and Harris, safety Darian Stewart and inside linebacker Brandon Marshall — were on the field for all 50 of Denver's defensive snaps. Outside linebacker Von Miller played 48 snaps. ... The New York Giants signed wide receiver Hunter Sharp of the Broncos' practice squad Monday. Sharp played in one game for the Broncos this season.

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